Interior Minister Marwan Charbel denied on Thursday that a security delegation will travel to Ankara to close the deal on the exchange of abductees.

“I will head to Turkey when there is serious and positive information on the issue,” Charbel told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

Progressive Socialist Party is scheduled to hold a popular rally on Friday afternoon near Samir Kassir Square in downtown Beirut in solidarity with the Syrian people and to demand the expulsion of the Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.

“This rally comes in support of the political stances that are biased in favor of the Syrian people and to denounce the persistent of the killing machine,” the party’s media officer, Rami al-Rayyes, told the daily on Thursday.

Seven people arrested by the Lebanese army in the northern city of Tripoli are expected to be referred to the Military Tribunal for legal measures if there was evidence of their involvement in the latest gunbattles, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

NNA said the men could be referred to the tribunal in the next 24 hours.

Hanadi Nuaimi, who disappeared mysteriously in the northern city of Tripoli two days ago, was freed overnight Wednesday.

Tripoli police arrested the gang that kidnapped the 19-year-old girl under the commands of the head of the gendarmerie, Brig. Gen. Bassam Ayoubi, the National News Agency reported.

President Michel Suleiman arrived Wednesday evening in Tehran to take part in the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement which will kick off on Thursday.

The Lebanese delegation comprises Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and the president’s advisor Naji Abi Assi.

The cabinet convened on Wednesday at the Grand Serail with 48 items on its agenda as Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed the need to improve the security situation in the country.

Miqati tackled the political and security situations in Lebanon and “stressed his support for the security forces’ efforts to bring the security situation under control across Lebanon,” state-run National News Agency reported.

Several roads were blocked with burning tires on Wednesday in the Tripoli area of al-Tal over the disappearance of an 18-year-old girl.

“Al-Tal road in Tripoli has been blocked over the disappearance of the girl Hanadi M. N. since yesterday,” Radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) reported.

A Lebanese man has been killed in Syria while another has been abducted since 11 days in two separate incidents, LBCI television reported on Wednesday.

“Lebanese citizen Shamel Shammout was killed by gunfire in the Syrian area of Jdeidet Artouz and his body was transported to Lebanon,” LBCI said.

The Beirut accusatory body headed by Judge Nada Dakroub on Wednesday decided to release Wissam Alaeddine, the suspect in the attack on al-Jadeed television, on a LBP 2 million bail.

Dakroub had issued an arrest warrant for Alaeddine that expired today. On July 4, she overruled a decision by Beirut Examining Magistrate Judge Ghassan Owaidat to release Alaeddine and keep him under judicial supervision.

Ties between Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and Hizbullah have not been severed despite the recent criticism launched by the MP against the party and its weapons’ arsenal, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday.

Hizbullah sources told the newspaper that contacts between the two sides are ongoing, especially between Jumblat and party chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.